Building precision sports infrastructure

zoom

The US $81 million cricket stadium in Dubai Sports City (above) is being built by a joint venture of Alpine Bau Deutschland and Abu Dhabi-based Belbadi Engineering. An Arabtec-Max Boegl team will build the multi-purpose indoor arena.

zoom

German firms are working on three of the four stadia in Dubai Sports City.

Vorsprung durch technik - better by design - is the label often affiliated with German efficiency, and this also extends to its construction sector. German contractors are stamping their influence on a number of high-profile projects within the region, especially in the field of stadium construction. Through their experience with the FIFA World Cup last summer, a number of contractors have developed experience within this particular market. And it is therefore unsurprising that Dubai Sports City features examples of German construction, with three of the four showcase stadia involving German contractors.

German subsidiary Alpine Bau Deutschland has been commissioned to build the 25,000-seater (expandable to 30,000) cricket stadium in Dubai Sports City. The US $82 million (AED300 million) contract is scheduled for completion in December 2007. According to Vasil Mingovsky, construction manager for the cricket stadium, a unique approach of combining both precast and in-situ techniques is being used to speed up the build process.

It will be one of the most advanced stadiums of its kind in the world and the International Cricket Council (ICC), the world-governing body of cricket, has been involved at all stages of the design process to ensure that the stadium meets the relevant specifications for hosting international cricket fixtures.

The roof structure of the stadium has been designed as a cross arch. Trussed steel girders will be covered with a coated PTFE membrane and the roof will cover all seats in the arena, protecting spectators from the sun and wind. Last week, Japan's Taiyo Kogyo Corporation won the $11 million contract for the membrane that will make up the roof. The 20,000m² area will be covered with a titanium dioxide fibreglass membrane - the first in the world to use the self-cleaning material.

Recently, it was announced that German contractor Max Boegl signed a joint venture deal with Arabtec for the construction of Dubai Sports City's multi-purpose 60,000-seat stadium. This is designed to act as a stadium catering for a range of sports including rugby, football, athletics and American football. The facility will also feature a unique Arabic tent.

This stadium had originally been designed as a much smaller venue, explains Mohammed Shariff, project coordinator, Dubai Sports City: "After submitting the masterplan to Dubai Municipality, the size of the stadium was increased from 25,000 to 60,000," which, adds Sheriff, required a re-assessment of the traffic impact study (TIS) and a revised masterplan.

A Max Boegl-Arabtec joint venture has also secured the main contract for the multi-purpose indoor arena. According to project manager Franze-Bernhard Schilberg, the building permit should be received from the client within two months, and construction should start soon after. The design has already been finalised. "Building should start at the beginning of June, we have been told from the client that we can expect the building permit by end of May. The construction schedule is 636 days," he says.

The 10,319-seat stadium will offer a sporting venue for basketball, indoor hockey, volleyball, handball, netball, and ice hockey. It will also act as an entertainment centre for concerts and shows.

Schilberg is effusive when questioned why German firms are so heavily involved with stadium construction: "We have much experience in it; we have built many of them in Germany because of the World Cup, and we are used to working with German architects as well." German firm GMP (Gerkan, Marg and Partner) was responsible for the design of the cricket stadium.

"We have built stadiums in Cologne, Frankfurt, a multi-purpose arena in Nuremberg and, for an arena in Munich we have done the steel construction - the roof and façade. Alpine was the main contractor," he adds.

Formally launched in March 2004 as a cornerstone project of Dubailand, Dubai Sports City will span 4.6 million m² when complete, at a cost of $3 billion. As well as the four stadia catering to various sporting disciplines, the project will also feature an Ernie Els-designed golf course, the world's first purpose-built Manchester United Soccer School facility, the ICC Global Cricket Academy and a David Lloyd Tennis Academy.

The first phase, scheduled for completion by the end of 2007, will include the golf course, sports academies and the opening phase of the Victory Heights residential community. Once completed in 2010, the development will have an estimated population of 70,000.

Away from stadium construction, German companies are applying their technical know-how to improve infrastructure within the Middle East. Peri is using its high formwork for a mega water treatment facility in Jordan and a dam project in Egypt.

Nearing completion, the wastewater treatment facility is expected to commence operations early next year. Eight circular aeration tanks plus eight final settling basins, with diameters of 65m and 54m respectively, were constructed on the premise of maintaining a very tight schedule. They required 5,500m² and 1,000m² slab formwork to be maintained at all times. A girder wall formwork was used for the walls, which meant all construction units and applications could be produced using just one flexible system.

Peri is also involved in constructing the Naga Hammadi barrage on the river Nile. Developed by a consortium of Bilfinger Berger, Vinci and Orascom, the $286 million project will, once complete, improve the water and electricity supply to the Upper Egypt region. The structure itself, which reaches heights of 30m, required 380,000m³ of reinforced concrete.

Due to open in 2008 following a four-year construction programme, it consists of a 64MW hydroelectric plant, a seven-gate weir facility for water level adjustment, as well as two 170m-long navigation locks of 17m width.

Within the UAE, Bilfinger Berger is working on the sewage collection and treatment system for the entire city of Fujairah. "It is the sewage collection and treatment system for the entire city," says Dr Mahmoud El Khafif, regional manager - Gulf States, Bilfinger Berger.

The project is to be completed within three years and two phases, but has been extended due to the development Fujairah is experiencing. "It is growing because new areas are being added to the city all the time. Its not open ended, but certainly extended. The initial value was $109 million," he adds. The company is also executing a $272 million project in Qatar - phases one and two of the Doha Expressway.

However, simply having the tools available does not that German companies pitch for every project going in the region. According to El Khalif, the company is more discerning than that. "We do not enter tenders where it is just price driven - we need a certain project size, category and sophistication to consider it. We like to go for design and build projects; we like to negotiate contracts, especially where a short time scheme is planned.

"Put it this way, we are looking at more sophisticated, upper- class projects."

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

READERS' COMMENTS

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM